Episode 197: How I’m Battling Burnout: Ten Tips for Coping When You Just Can’t Quit
Have you ever experienced a regular ole Tuesday where sending an email feels arduous? Picking up a phone call feels like a side gig? Sharing about your day at the dinner table feels as stressful as an open mic night?
You’re not alone. Burnout—as we know it—comes in as many forms as it can sneak itself into.
In this episode, Erin shares her most recent experience with burnout while in recovery from a concussion and shares with you the ten tips she uses daily to keep her fire burning, and not the other way around.
If you’re looking for tangible strategies to have your own back (especially when you’re busy), this is the episode for you.
ICYMI – Your Post-Episode Homework: If this episode moved you, please pass it on to a friend, a colleague, or someone you haven’t spoken with in a while or consider leaving us a review on iTunes so we can continue to create content that serves you. Let’s remind each other that we’re not alone—we're in this uphill climb together (forever).
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Erin Diehl is the founder and Chief “Yes, And” officer of improve it! and host of the improve it! Podcast. She’s a performer, facilitator and professional risk-taker who lives by the mantra, “get comfortable with the uncomfortable.” Through a series of unrelated dares, Erin has created improve it!, a unique professional development company that pushes others to laugh, learn and grow. Her work with clients such as United Airlines, PepsiCo, Groupon, Deloitte, Motorola, Walgreens, and The Obama Foundation earned her the 2014 Chicago RedEye Big Idea Award and has nominated her for the 2015-2019 Chicago Innovations Award.
This graduate from Clemson University is a former experiential marketing and recruiting professional as well as a veteran improviser from the top improvisational training programs in Chicago, including The Second City, i.O. Theater, and The Annoyance Theatre.
When she is not playing pretend or facilitating, she enjoys running and beach dates with her husband and son, and their eight-pound toy poodle, BIGG Diehl.
You can follow the failed it! podcast on Instagram @learntoimproveit and facebook, and you can follow Erin personally on Instagram @keepinitrealdiehl here. You can also check out improve it! and how we can help your organization at www.learntoimproveit.com. We can’t wait to connect with you online!
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Episode 197 Transcription
Erin (00:00):
Hi new friend. I'm Erin Diehl, business Improv Edutainer, Failfluencer, and keynote speaker who is ready to help you improve your it, it being the thing that makes you, you. So think of me as your keeping it real. Professional development bestie who is here to help you develop yourself into the best version of you possible so you can develop your team and lead with intentionality, transparency, and authenticity. Oh, and did I mention we're improving your IT through play? That's right. I'm an improvisational comedy expert who uses experiential learning to help you have your aha haha moments. Those are the moments when the light bulb goes off and you're laughing at the same time. So grab your chicken hat, your notebook, and your inner child because I'm going to take you on a journey that is both fun and transformative. Welcome to the Improve It Podcast,
Erin (01:08):
Improve It peeps. Welcome to today's show, all about how I'm battling burnout. I'm gonna give you 10 tips for coping when you just can't quit. Now, before I get into the show, I want to just talk about a couple things that are little housekeeping items. Okay? We have something called the Play Your Way into Wellness Workbook. If you have not gotten yours yet, it starts off with a quiz to help you find your wellness avatar, and then based on your wellness avatar, gives you this really awesome playbook to help you with tangible tips, tricks, exercises to create more wellness in your life based on the type of wellness you currently have. And then it helps you think differently about your wellness at work. So check that out. You'll find the link in our show notes here. If you have not gotten yours, get it now because she's going away soon.
Erin (02:05):
So I wanna make sure you get your copy. Now, I want to start with a story in today's episode because I am not sure how much I've given you already. I record so many of these shows, so just know I'm gonna start at the beginning of where I'm currently at with my own burnout battle. And then I've got so many tips and tricks for you as this show progresses. So stay tuned for that. So I'm currently dealing with P C s, which is post-concussion syndrome. In case you wondering, I jumped off a 40 foot cliff in Costa Rica. She was really smart. It was a waterfall into a body of water and really banged myself up. Okay? I didn't realize that I was in post-concussion syndrome or even that. I had a concussion for about six weeks because I was also experiencing anxiety at the time.
Erin (03:00):
I thought that the vision issues I were having were related to anxiety. I thought that the headaches were, because I was burned out, turns out everything and timing and dates and all of the symptoms correlated back to the time of when I did the jump. And after New York CT scan, things were confirmed. She has a concussion. So I, through this time period that happened May 3rd, I'm recording this episode, July 12th. All right? So it's been going on for over two months. At this point, I have been feeling extremely overwhelmed. I've been feeling extremely burned out. I have been feeling fatigued. Things that were easy for me, like writing an email seemed arduous at times. So through this period of time, I've seen countless doctors, my general practitioner, the eye doctor, a neurologist, chiropractor, acupuncturist, therapist, intuitive life coach. The list goes on. So on top of feeling overwhelmed, I'm constantly seeking health advice and just trying to get answers right?
Erin (04:03):
So now I have answers. I have a team in place and I am working through this battle with burnout. But here comes the problem, problem. You might be listening to my list of symptoms and you might not have post-concussion syndrome. Let's hope you don't 'cause it's not fun. You may have your own internal battle with anxiety or your own battle with burnout. And you know, as well as I do that it is extremely challenging and difficult to do your work and your job when you feel burned out. How do you do your job when you feel burned out? How do you do your job and be a parent and be a caregiver and be a good partner and be a son or a daughter or a friend?
Erin (04:50):
And that's what led me to today's show because I am struggling. I'm gonna tell you that for free. I am struggling. I'm having probably one of the most difficult times of my entire life right now and this moment. And I know that this event or circumstance is not happening to me. I know it's happening for me. I truly do. I was in a meditation the other day and I heard this voice that said, listen to the lyrics of TLC's Waterfalls. And I loved that CD I had that it was like one of my first albums. So I pull it up on my phone and of course, meditations guides you to the greatest, the best places. And, and the lyrics said, don't go chasing waterfalls. Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to. I know that you're gonna have it your way or nothing at all, but I think you're moving too fast.
Erin (05:49):
But I think you're moving too fast for anyone listening who can resonate and listen to those, those lyrics, a lot of times we don't really listen to lyrics of songs because they're just got these really catchy vibes. Listen to that song and really take it in. I was moving at a rapid pace for 40 years. I lived in constant fight or flight mode since 2020, maybe even 2017, maybe even before that. Probably my entire 40 years of life, I've been living in fight or flight mode and my body is tired, my mind is tired. I needed to rewire the system. And what that means is rewiring the way that I show up at work, the way that I show up as a mom, the way that I show up at social events, the way I show up in the world, because I got work here to do y'all. I gotta help you. I'm gonna teach you. And I can't do it tired, and I can't do it at the pace that I was going because I was running myself into the ground. I was constantly trying to be the best, the best leader, the best facilitator, the best keynote speaker, the best podcast host, the best new author, the best mom, the best wife, the best daughter, the best friend. Like it's exhausting. It is exhausting.
Erin (07:13):
And done. I am done. You know, it's funny because the book that I am writing, or I have written and is in edits right now, is all about self-love. And it starts with we have to love ourselves. We have to give to ourselves first in order to give to our teams and the people around us. And it gives tangible tips and tricks and tools. And I was talking the talk, and let me just say this, the be when I wrote the book, I was actually living that life. And then things took a turn for me around my 40th birthday. I got severe anxiety. I felt like this wave of emotions that I'd never felt before. And I started living in fear mode.
Erin (07:59):
And I was talking that talk, but I wasn't walking the walk. A good friend of mine told me recently, you know, I was watching you on Instagram talk about self love and you know, I, I know you, I've known you for 20 plus years. And she's like, and I love what you're talking about, but like, I would watch the video and look at it and say, while her eye's twitching, you know, like that's, that's not okay. And so you can feel that authenticity in a person. And I will tell you, I do a lot of things to take care of myself, but I wasn't really doing what my body needs for me to do.
Erin (08:37):
So I'm gonna give you today 10 steps. Actually. They go in sequential. Order for number one is one thing you need to do. Number two is another thing you need to do. 'cause If you are feeling this battle with burnout as well, I want you to know, number one, you're not alone. Number two, if you have post-concussion syndrome, call me, email me. Let's lament, come on. And number three, I want you to know that there is hope. I want you to know that there's some days where I feel so alone that I feel like no one can hear the struggle. And you may look at my life and say, you know what? She's got it all. She's got the company, she's got the stage, she's got the sun. She won it forever. She's got, she lives in Charleston. You know what? And I, I have so much.
Erin (09:33):
I am so blessed. I am grateful every day for these blessings, but I'm also human and I'm also flawed. And I'm also figuring this life out just like you. And I truly believe we're all meant here for an assignment. And I'm finally in alignment with that assignment. But I haven't actually done the work to be the teacher that I need to be. So this is me being that teacher. And I hope that these tips and tricks serve you so much. And I hope that they start as a resource, a starting point for you. No, I'm not a doctor. I'm giving you these tips from my personal experience. I've consulted, as you heard with mini a deck. But I'm not one. I do have a PhD though because I am a pretty huge deal. Anyway, I digress. Let's start with your 10 steps for battling burnout.
Erin (10:22):
Here are 10 tips for coping when you just can't quit. Number one, this is huge. One tab open every day. What does this mean me? Look at your computer right now if you're looking at a computer or look at your phone. And I want you to see how many tabs you actually have open on that phone or how many tabs you actually have open on your computer. Chances are there's more than one. I'm talking about closed or hypothetical tabs. So you're only focused in on what you're doing. And close the physical tabs, close the tabs. There's no way in this world we can do well at a task with the amount of multitasking that we are asked to do. The amount of attention, the amount of refocusing that our brain has to go through is exhausting. So let it yourself. Do yourself a favor and keep one tab open.
Erin (11:15):
Number two, two magnesium supplements a day. Now, again, not a doctor, I will tell you that I have consulted with a neurologist, a acupuncturist, and my general practitioner about magnesium. And everyone agrees it is great for the brain. It helps you with sleep, it helps you with stress. So I use a brand called Nello. You can find it on Amazon. I've yet to find it in a store and it's Nello magnesium. They're 200 milligrams. I take two. You can take up to 600. So three of the mil magnesiums every day at night before I go to bed. Don't take it in the daytime, you'll be tired. But I take two and I really feel just my body starts to relax. It's just like a natural calming aid. And it really helps reset that nervous system because a lot of things that happen with our body when we have burnout is that our nervous system is overactivated.
Erin (12:20):
It's in power drive, it's in constant fight or flight mode. So we need to get it back to a parasympathetic state of calm and relaxation. And this is a great natural way to do that. Number three, have three 20 minutes of movement in your workday. So that could mean for 20 minutes you're gonna do a meeting where you stand, you're not moving, but at least you're standing up for 20 minutes up. You are gonna take a walk around the block and reset your brain for 20 minutes. You're gonna throw if you work from home, a load of laundry in and fold a load just to get yourself moving. Being sedative is what gives us this feeling of burnout. And so when we allow ourselves to just do these things with movement and not have a podcast on, or have our social media open, we just allow ourselves to move for 20 minutes.
Erin (13:17):
It resets the way that we feel. It gives us some endorphins and it helps us come back to a very calm state. Number four is take four breaks as needed throughout the day of 10 minute increments. A guest that you will hear on this show, spoiler alert, gives us the fact that we can take 90 minute intervals and 10 minute breaks all day long, that it will help us in the long run. Four breaks as needed throughout the day for a minimum of 10 minutes. So that's four 10 minute breaks. That's 40 minutes. That does not mean you're scrolling social media. That does not mean you're now checking your personal email. It means that you're sitting outside and just staring. Or you are Jo, you're doing a 10 minute meditation or you're going for that 10 minute walk around the block. Whatever it is you need, brain breaks four as needed throughout the day of 10 minutes.
Erin (14:19):
Four is your minimum. Number five, I want you to try to go five days without alcohol. You heard me? Now I'm gonna give you a little sidetrack on this. Ya girl loves her some Sian blanc. She loves her dirty martini with blue cheese. Olives, I love a cold beer on a hot day. I'm just giving you facts with post-concussion syndrome. You were supposed to limit your alcohol. And let me tell you why. 'cause It, you already feel drunk all day long. I had already stopped drinking throughout the week. Pandemic did a number on me. So I was drinking a lot. I was just having a glass of wine or two glasses of wine every night in 2020 to survive. And I really cut back in 2021. I made my only drinking Thursday, Friday, Saturday. I would have like a glass on Thursday. Thursday, maybe three or four on Saturday, maybe three or four on Friday.
Erin (15:13):
So that's a lot of boosts, right? I want you to limit yourself to only drinking two nights a week. So five days with no boost. I've actually stopped drinking almost completely in these past probably four weeks. I've had maybe three or four drinks. And I can't tell you I feel better because I'm, you know, concussed. But I can tell you that when I drink the next day, I have far more anxiety because it is a depressant. So the next day is worse for me. I might feel great drinking and hanging out, but I'm here for future Aaron. So future Aaron does not wanna be hungover and or have anxiety. So let me just be myself. Let me have fun in a social setting. And if that's not enough for somebody, if I have to have a drink in my hand, then they're not meant to be my friend.
Erin (16:07):
That's just bottom line period. So I want you to go five days with no boost. Number six is I want you to have six days of meditation. So you could meditate during one of your breaks. You can meditate first thing when you get up in the morning. But I want you to take that time and recenter yourself every day. You can start off with five minute meditations. You could start off with three minute meditations. But giving yourself that mindfulness moment is key. Number seven, this is huge, especially if you're battling burnout. Seven days of eating whole foods. Lemme say it again. Seven days of eating Whole Foods. Who loves a chip? Raise your hand. Me who loves a french fry? Me? Who loves them? Some cake. Me on most days. I'm not a huge sweets person. Gimme savory all day long. I can tell a huge difference when I eat processed foods versus when I eat foods that are good and made from the earth. Listen, we all love avocado of toast, right? Put some put out on some gluten free bread, fine.
Erin (17:26):
But when we add things like potato chips, snacky, snackies, processed, processed foods to our diet, we're actually putting chemicals and ingredients in our body that our brain has to digest and reprocess, which makes things harder and more arduous for us in the long run. I want you to try going seven days with eating whole foods and see how you feel. Just try it. And then if it feels good, go another seven. Think about this. It doesn't have to be the whole food diet where you're like whole 30 and not eating corn. Like I'm just saying, if it comes from the earth, eat it. If it falls from a tree, eat it tree. If you see that it comes from a factory and it's put into a bag and there's a bunch of things that were made in a factory in that bag, don't eat it.
Erin (18:17):
That's it. That's it. All right. Here's number eight. I want you to have eight cups of water a day at a minimum. And I've talked about this before. I hate water. I don't like it. I don't know why. Don't know why. I was a camel in a past life. But I will also say that I've infused things in my water like liquid IV supplements, which are just little packets with oh my gosh, what's the word? Electrolytes that you can put into your water. I put hint water. We had Kera Golden, the founder of Hint Water on the show. It's fruit infused water. I put that in my water just to make it taste a little bit better. So you can put things in your water, even fruit. You could put lemons. You could put raspberries, strawberries, just to change the taste of your water to make you wanna drink it.
Erin (19:05):
And it will change the game. But eight cups of water, this one's controversial. Okay, this one. Number nine is controversial. Nine hours of sleep a night. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. So I was a seven, seven and a half hour sleeper for a long time. And now I require nine hours. Eight is like the minimum. Nine is like, okay, you can get out of bed. 10 is like the sweet spot. But when you're burned out, that is the body telling you you need rest. You need sleep. It needs to be consecutive. You need to be with your brain in a still place where you're gonna burn. So nine hours of sleep. Now there's a whole episode in our repertoire here about evening routines. It is so wonderful to get into bed knowing that, okay, I've done what I need to do that day. I have this routine. It's helped me reset.
Erin (20:07):
I always think about my toddler. When I think of evening routines. There's like a whole process that we start 45 minutes before bed to get him wound down. And we as adults think that we can just brush our teeth, pop into bed with our Instagram and fall asleep. That's not reality. We're stimulating our brains. So get nine hours of sleep by putting your phone away an hour before you're gonna go to bed, having something that you do like washing your face, brushing your teeth, a ritual, getting into bed. Make your bed a really safe, fun, good place. I just bought a weighted blanket, changed my life. Put blackout curtains in your room, put on a sound machine and really make it a zen space for you to recharge. And finally, here is number 10. It's one of my favorites. You're gonna say 10 things that you're grateful for and 10 I am.
Erin (21:02):
Power statements every morning to yourself. You can write 'em down or you can say them. But starting the day and having a day where you are grateful for 10 things and where you affirm who you are is going to change the way you show up in every aspect of your life. 10 things. I'm grateful for. 10 power Im statements. So let me recap your 10 tips for coping when you just can't quit. Number one, keep one tab open every day. Number two, have two magnesium supplements, which are 400 milligrams. My favorite brand is na. Have three 20 minutes of movement in your workday. Take four breaks with 10 minute min with as needed throughout the day for 10 minutes. So four breaks as needed. Four 10 minutes. Have five days of your week with no alcohol. Have six days of your week. Include meditation.
Erin (22:06):
Have seven days of eating whole foods. Have eight cups of water. At a minimum, get nine hours of sleep and start your day with 10 things you're grateful for. And 10 I am power statements. I just wanna share with you that this again, is not backed by a doctor, it's backed by a human being who is living an burned out experience. And I can tell you that I've noticed shifts in the way that I show up. That if I didn't have these practices, I don't even think I'd be recording this episode right now. For real. These things save me. And if you are a person who is feeling overwhelmed, burned out, stressed, anxiety, listen to your signals your body is sending you. 'cause The signals will send signals. And if you don't listen to those, it's gonna stop it for you.
Erin (23:09):
So I am so here for you. I'm so proud of you. Please, if this episode moved, you consider leaving a five star review on iTunes for us. That would mean the world or past today's show to somebody who you know is going through a tough time so they feel less alone. And let them know they're not alone. They are not alone. You are enough, you are worthy. And you can get through this. And I'm gonna get through this too. And together we're gonna come out on top. So you know what I'm gonna say? Keep failing, keep improving. Because this world needs that very special it that only you can bring and you can only bring it to life if you take care of yourself. Alright, I'll see you next week. Bye for now.
Erin (24:00):
Hey, friend, did you enjoy today's show? If so, head on over to iTunes to rate and subscribe. So you never miss an episode. Now, did I mention that when you leave a five star review of the Improve It podcast, an actual team of humans does a happy dance? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. That's right. So leave a review for us on iTunes, screenshot it, and send me an email at info at learn to improve it.com. I'll send you a personalized video back as a thank you. Thanks so much for listening. Improve It Peeps. I'll see you next Wednesday.